WEST HAVEN >> In some cases, the cell phone in someone’s pocket could sting instead of ring.

As those types of devices—stun “guns” disguised as everyday objects—become less rare, consumers might not be aware that the burden to know about stun gun laws falls not on the manufacturers, but on those making the purchase.

But police spokesman Sgt. David Tammaro said that such devices are unusual, which is one reason the department released a video of the device showing a spark glowing out of the top of the iPhone-shaped device. The video can be seen on the department’s Facebook page.

“It’s extremely rare,” Tammaro said in a phone interview. “It’s something we don’t see every day.”

Tammaro said that the devices are dangerous not only because they emit electricity, but also because they might not be effective, with some being poorly made.

“My understanding is they’re not very reliable,” he said. “You’re kind of have a false sense of security carrying something like that.”

Yet, while such an arrest is rare, they have occurred in Greater New Haven. In 2012, for instance, a man was arrested and allegedly found to be in possession of a stun gun disguised as a cell phone. According to multiple media reports at that time, New Haven police said an officer discovered it was a fake phone and a real weapon when he touched a button on the fake phone’s number pad.

New Haven police spokesman Officer David Hartman said that police receive alerts from other states and municipalities about objects that have been converted to weapons, including firearms that have been disguised as cell phones.

He said that stun guns are similarly made to look like other objects.

“I’ve seen photos of them disguised as wallets,” and other objects, he said.

Connecticut’s weapon laws place several restrictions on the possession and use of stun guns, which are known within the law as “electronic defense weapons.”

In addition to those restrictions, buying a stun gun disguised as the latest iPhone appears to be difficult at brick-and-mortar stores in the state. Most weapon shops, even those aimed at customers looking to defend themselves, sell traditional weapons.

Mike Higgins, the co-owner of TGS Outdoors in Branford, said in a phone interview that he doesn’t sell them and doesn’t know of another store that does. He said the strict rules surrounding stun gun devices reduces the demand for disguised stun guns.

“There really is not a big call for that type of thing,” he said. “Those things have been around for a long time.”

Higgins said he sees a much bigger demand for pepper spray, which his shop does sell.

Higgins also said that stun guns generally aren’t as powerful as most people think. They might upset a potential assailant but he said they won’t drop the attacker to the ground unless they are a Taser-type device, which is usually very expensive.

But acquiring a camouflaged stun gun online appears to be significantly easier.

Companies with names such as Yellow Jacket, Guard Dog and Women on Guard all offer such devices at a wide range of prices—with some available for as low as $24. All of those companies, however, have very clear disclaimers about who is liable for what happens when the stun gun is used and who is responsible for knowing the specific laws that regulate use or possession of that device.

The answer in both cases is the consumer.

Susan Eaton, the co-owner of the Florida-based Women on Guard, said her company sold 425 stun devices to customers around the country in December. Women on Guard sells stun devices that are disguised as various types of cell phones, tubes of lipstick, pens and even walking canes, in addition to stun batons. When used, the devices can shock a person with millions of volts of electricity in a concentrated area.

The point of the disguise: “[It’s] the element of surprise, mainly,” Eaton said, because an attacker would not think that item is a weapon, which could give a victim more time to get away.

Eaton said that the stun devices her company sells that are shaped like phones do not actually function as phones. That’s in contrast to products such as those made Louisiana-based Yellow Jacket. Its device is a case that can go on a working phone and the company claims that it can help improve the phone’s battery life.

Yellow Jacket did not respond to repeated requests for interviews.

Eaton said that her company does not send stun devices to customers with shipping addresses in states where the devices are completely outlawed. But they do ship to Connecticut and other cities and states that regulate electronic weapons.

“They’re not illegal in Connecticut, there are just restrictions,” she said. “That’s up to the customer to make sure they abide by their local and state laws.”